If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that we like to make many versions of the same recipe. An example is our muffin tops, we’ve already made 3 versions! But once we find a recipe base that we love, we can’t stop creating different variations! But hey, you guys seem to love it too 🙂

But anyways, that’s why we loveeeeeee salsa! Not only because it’s so fresh and delicious, but because it can have infinite variations. You can add anything you want, chop it up finely, and you’ve got yourself a fresh and delicious condiment or dip. That is why we are so excited to share with you today’s recipe, Avocado Tropical Fruit Salsa.

Don’t get me wrong, we both adore traditional salsa made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. but sometimes you gotta get creative and change things up, and that’s exactly what we did. Now it may sound a bit strange to combine avocado and fruit, but once you try it you’ll be hooked! What’s even better is that this salsa is the perfect snack when combined with Lundberg Farms Red Rice & Quinoa Tortilla chips, especially the Cinnamon Sugar flavor!

Bethany and I try to make and eat the foods that will give us the most efficient energy possible especially when we’re always on-the-go! And of course, it has to be tasty too. That’s why we love snacking on Lundberg Farms Tortilla chips because they are made with organic brown rice and US-grown quinoa, super clean and no-fuss ingredients, packed with protein and are perfect for a healthy and active lifestyle. You can enjoy this tasty and healthy snack of chips and salsa literally anywhere, just prep the salsa ahead of time, put it in tupperware and stash a bag of Lundberg Farms Red Rice & Quinoa Tortilla chips in a backpack or bag and enjoy! Take this delicious snacking combo to the beach, camping, hiking, etc. and you’ll enjoy it no matter what.

Now on how to make this salsa…. just combine chopped:

Avocado

Kiwi

Banana

Mango

Lime juice

Unsweetened coconut flakes

And that’s it and you’ve got the perfect healthy summer snack to fuel your next adventure!

Crispy and flavorful Pretzel Parmesan Avocado Fries will be a huge standout at your next holiday party! Super simple to make and gluten-free!

Can you believe that the name of this blog is Athletic Avocado and we barely have any recipes that contain avocado? That needs to change ASAP. As much as I love avocado, I have a really hard time making my own recipes with it because guacamole is the only thing I can think of until the idea for these avo fries came into my life.

This Post is sponsored by La Terra Fina. As always, all opinions are my own.

Instead of making a dip with avocado (aka guac), I made a dipper! The result is a crunchy, cheesy salty coating on the outside and delicious creamy taste of avocado on the inside.

La Terra Fina provided me with their line of greek yogurt dips to help spread some holiday cheer, literally. These dips are so flavorful with 50% less fat and fewer calories, thanks to the greek yogurt base. On top of that, La Terra Fina greek yogurt dips are gluten-free and have no artificial flavors or preservatives. I used their Spinach, Artichoke & Parmesan dip for a great companionship with these ago fries. The result is a delicious combination of flavors!

So how simple are these avocado fries? Almost stupidly simple. When making them, you are allowed to double dip. I mean, technically you could also double dip when eating if no one is watching but that’s not what I’m talking about. Right now, I’m strictly explaining the technique to make these avo fries as crispy as possible without frying!

Thick avocado slices are drenched in a crushed pretzel- parmesan mixture and baked until crispy for an tasty crowd pleasing appetizer! Made perfectly sturdy to hold your favorite dip! Also can be gluten-free!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

Slice avocadoes in half, then in about 5-6 thick slices in each halve (about 20-24 slices total).

Place pretzels in a food processor and blend until a fine crumb. Place in a shallow bowl and mix with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Beat egg with a splash of warm water in a separate shallow bowl.

Dip avocado slice first in pretzel crumbs, then in egg, then drench again in pretzel-parm mixture. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining slices. Spray cooking spray overtop fries.

Looking for a healthier crowd-pleasing dessert? Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Fudge is a unique take on two favorites, but is secretly guilt-free! Vegan + Gluten-free!

Can someone please tell me how it is mathematically, statistically, logically, and emotionally possible to dislike chocolate? I cannot wrap my head around this one. How does one despise the taste of the most glorious food in the world? Think about it; if you dislike chocolate, you miss out on a dessert world of opportunity. Could you imagine turning your nose up at to a ginourmous slice or a decadent 7 layer chocolate cake? Or gagging at the site of a right-out-of-the-oven gooey brownie? Or turning down a glorious chocolatey piece of fudge?

“This post is sponsored by Farmer’s Direct Co-op. As always, all opinions are my own.”

Believe it or not, my cousin is one of those people. I always asks her how she gets her sweet fix, but she always explains to me that there are plenty non-chocolate desserts that she enjoys. Sometimes I forget that there is a world outside of chocolate desserts. You know apple pie, cheesecake, blondies, vanilla cupcakes, white chocolate……the list could go on. It saddens me though, that these chocolate haters will never know the delicious taste of fudge. That is until I made a non-chocolate version to feed their souls.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Fudge. How does that sound? When the idea first came into my mind, it tickled my heart. A simple chocolate-less, sinless, crowd-pleasing dessert that is perfect for any holiday get-together. Who say’s you need chocolate to make fudge? Call me a rebel, but I say nay.

My friends at Farmer’s Direct Co-op hooked me up with some fabulous products, and I included their organic rolled oats in this recipe. You know what I love about this company? 100% of their products are farmer owned and are certified organic and fair trade. I choose to partner with their company because I believe that farmers and their land should be treated fairly. To learn more about this evolution click here.

“This post is sponsored by Georgia Grinders. As always, all opinions are my own.”

Since the holidays are quickly approaching, all things sweets have been on my mind. From experimenting with new sweet recipes for the winter season to eating bressert (dessert for breakfast), I’ve been having my fair share of homemade (healthy) holiday treats. No shame included.🙅

Are desserts are your mind lately too? I think it’s just the time of year that has me dreaming of apple pie, Christmas cookies, chocolate,etc. I love making desserts for holiday parties, but I’m usually slaving in the kitchen for HOURS on end making 8 kinds of cupcakes, 11 types of cookies, 4 types of chocolate and 3 types of pie. Ok, total exaggeration here, but my point is, why take time spend hours in the kitchen when it can take you 3 minutes (plus chilling time) to make gourmet crowd-pleasing dessert? And bonus: it’s totally healthy.

The star of the show here is Georgia Grinders Pecan Butter, which creates the perfect base for this bark. It’s creamy, drippy and has a strong nutty taste. Did you ever try pecan butter? I hate to say this, but sorry peanut butter, you are now second.

Georgia Grinders is a nut butter company that is dedicated to creating high-quality, unique nut butters with simple and minimal ingredients. They also sent me their original almond butter, creamy cashew butter (you can use in these blondies) and pecan-peanut butter. All these jars deserve a big round of applause👏👏👏

Ok, now back to this bark! It’s mind-boggling to think that it’s vegan and paleo friendly and highly addictive. Only 5 ingredients are needed:

“This post is sponsored by Enjoy Life Foods on behalf of Mambo Sprouts. As always, all opinions are my own.”

Can we all agree that the worst feeling in the world is when you run out of nut butter? I thought I had another jar in my pantry when I finished the last of my peanut butter, but nope, I was so wrong! The saying “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone” really screams the truth in this situation. How am I gonna last the next few days without having nut butter on my oatmeal, in my smoothie, with my banana, by the spoonful………the list could go on.

I don’t realize how much I rely upon nut butter in my daily diet. I don’t discriminate, all kinds are welcome whether it be peanut, almond, cashew…… and cookie. You may think, “cookie butter? That’s not really healthy, or even a nut butter!?” Any your’e actually so right, it’s neither healthy nor made of nuts.Well that’s the store-bought version you’re talking about! My version breaks that mold with a fall twist.

Because it’s October, everything I’m eating is pumpkin flavored. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pumping scones, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin coffee…….I could go on forever. Since my love of pumpkin is SO SO strong, this pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie butter has been on my mind since July. I had no problem developing the recipe, but my problem was with the cookie part. How do I make a healthy cookie butter with cookies that are unhealthy? Hmmmmmm😕

That ah-ha moment happened when I received Enjoy Life Food‘s new mini cookies. Their cookies are free from the 8 common allergies, gluten-free, vegan and contain no artificial anything. They come in cute little 100 calorie packs so you or your little ones can take them for an on-the-go treat! Yasssss to (healthy) cookies!

To keep this nut butter fall-themed, I used the soft-baked mini snicker doodle cookies. They crumble perfectly into the nut butter which makes blending a breeze. So smooth, so creamy, so decadent yet still good for ya!

A few years ago, I kept getting the most terrible headaches and didn’t understand why. They were so bad that I constantly had light sensitivity and trouble focusing in class. I looked all over the internet (probably not the best idea lol) for answers, but nothing made sense. I thought I ate “really healthy” but little did I know I was under the misconception that “diet foods” were good for me.

My diet consisted of:

calorie-free drinks/diet soda

lite yogurt

so called “healthy” cereals

10 calorie jello cups

fat-free salad dressings

microwaved kettle corn

sugar-free chewing gum

Now if you’re wondering why these foods would give me headaches, let me just start by asking you to look at the ingredient list at any of the products above. Can you recognize all the ingredients you see? Nope. You see, companies use artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, preservatives and other unknown substances to make a product lower calorie, calorie-free or sugar-free. So basically, I was eating chemicals on the daily which is why I felt terrible.

When I came to this realization, I immediately stopped eating all of these chemical-laden foods and replaced them with whole foods. Before buying anything, I would look at the ingredient list of a product. If it contained an ingredient that I could pronounce or recognize, I put it back on the shelf! This forced me to choose clean, unprocessed foods in place. I eventually began choosing products with a simplified ingredient list instead of an long list of unknown substances. Organic plain yogurt replaced the “lite” variety, homemade granola replaced the store-bought sugary clusters, balsamic vinegar replaced the fat-free dressing and freshly popped pop-corn took the place of kettle corn. But what about my chewing gum? I relied on it for classes in school to keep me from falling asleep and to be more productive. After learning that most chewing gum contains plastic in the “gum base”, I was beyond terrified! How nasty is that? The last ingredient I want to find in my chewing gum is something that is bad for the environment, let alone bad for humans to consume!

And that’s where Simply Gum met my needs! After seeing the packets at the Whole Foods check out line, I was curious to try it. I first took a look at the ingredient list and was actually amazed to see only few ingredients. The second “wow” factor happened when I tried the product (maple was the first flavor I tried), so simple and natural tasting, yet cleansing to the palate. Then I did more research about the company. Simply Gum is a chewing gum company that is dedicated to using only all natural ingredients that are non GMO project verified, Kosher certified and without ANY synthetics, preservatives or artificial flavors. According to their website:

“Regular chewing gum is packed with artificial substances that are potentially toxic,including plastic, aspartame, and BHT. Because we only use natural ingredients, our gumis not only better for your body, it’s also biodegradable and better for the planet.”

If you chew gum on a daily basis, I highly recommend you switch over to Simply Gum. I love that they have a passion for creating high-quality gum and truly care for their consumers.

And only 5 all-natural ingredients ,Simply gum is superior to any other gum company out there!

They also have amazing and unique flavors that cleanse your palate and help you chew better.

Love all things pumpkin and gingerbread? Make this high-protien Pumpkin Gingerbread Smoothie Bowl! It taste like pumpkin pie and gingerbread all in a guilt-free smoothie form! Perfect for a post-workout treat!

When the holidays roll around, I’m probably the least festive person in the whole wide world. Even when I was a kid, I hated trick-or-treating. I would only go to one house in my neighborhood that gave out large bags of chocolate-covered pretzels (jackpot) and that was it. I don’t go black friday shopping at the crack of dawn after Thanksgiving. When Christmas rolls around, I refuse to listen to any Christmas music, except the song Little Drummer Boy. I also don’t own any Christmas sweaters or lightbulb earrings, so I guess you could call me a scrooge in that sense. But if you see what I eat during the holidays, you’d be able to tell that all my festivity lies within my food choices.

Give me the pumpkin goodies and I will gladly eat them ALL. Let me become friends with the gingerbread men you make and we can eat Christmas cookies together. I’ll take three platefuls of sweet potato casserole during Thanksgiving. Oh, and lets not forget to celebrate halloween by downing 10 lbs of dark chocolate!

You guys can probably tell by my recipes, that I can’t stop won’t stop with all things pumpkin and gingerbread. But usually when you think of these flavors, your mind transports you to the land of sugar. Hold up for a moment. What if I told you that your post workout meal could combine the two amazing flavors while being high in protein? Yessssssssiirrrr.

My friends at Naked Nutrition sent me their 100% Premium Grass-Fed Whey Protein to create this festive protein-packed smoothie bowl. You may be wondering “Why Naked? That sounds dirty.” Actually, Naked Whey is the cleanest, most pure whey protein you can find on the market. Being the protein powder snob that I am, I was pretty stoked when I saw that the ingredient list only consisted of whey protein concentrate and nothing more. Quality protein for the win💪. Here’s more detail about “The Naked Difference“:

From Grass Fed Cows’ Milk From Small Dairy Farms in California

No Artificial Sweeteners, Flavors, or Colors

25 Grams of Protein and 5.9 Grams of BCAA’s Per Serving*

Only One Ingredient: Grass Fed Whey Protein

GMO Free

Soy Free and Gluten Free

Growth Hormone Free, no rBGH or rBST

Cold Processed

Acid and Bleach-Free Processing

Now that I explained the high-protein quality of this fluffy frosty smoothie, let me tell you about what it tastes like! It’s a hybrid of pumpkin pie filling and gingerbread cookies all in smoothie form, aka the best of both (festive) worlds. What makes it even better it that you don’t have to turn on your oven to enjoy these flavors. All you need is a blender and these ingredients:

Pumpkin Gingerbread Protein Smoothie Bowl

The flavors of pumpkin pie and gingerbread unite in this thick and creamy high-protein smoothie bowl. Topped with pepitas, pecans, dried cranberries and dark chocolate, this smoothie bowl is decadent, sweet and filling all while being nourishing and totally guilt-free!

Love all things matcha? Try this Coconut Matcha Oatmeal Latte! You get your caffeine and hearty breakfast all in one bowl! Vegan + Gluten-free!

I feel like I’m always the last person to hop on board with the coolest trends. Do you remember skinny jeans? I refused to wear them until everyone and their mother started wearing them. Did you ever try avocado toast? It literally took me soooo long to try it out after swooning all over it on Instagram. I could go on for days, but I think you get the point that I procrastinate to try new things. I swear that one thing I’ll never get into is Pokemon go.😝

This post is sponsored by Mind My Matcha. As always, all opinions are my own.”

I became aware of matcha because everyone on social media raves all about it, but I still wasn’t convinced enough to try it. I thought “it’s just another kind of tea, right? No thanks, I’ll stick with my coffee.” But like most things, matcha has grown on me. After Mind My Matcha send me some to try, I was hooked right away.

Matcha isn’t just another tea, it’s like the Simone Biles of teas. For those who have no clue what I’m talking about, Matcha is a special type of green tea grown in Japan and made from the full leaf. One serving of matcha tea is the nutritional equivalent of 10 cups of green tea. Woah!

If you think Matcha is something that would float your boat, you have to get the high-quality grade stuff from Mind My Matcha (Psssst You can use the coupon code AA20 for 20% off!). Their matcha is organically grown from the Nishio region of Japan and contains no fillers or additives. <<<<<< My kind of company👌

The first time I tried matcha was in a latte, and I fell in love. Being the oatmeal loving person I am, I thought it was a great idea to make a matcha oatmeal latte because oatmeal is BAE. I also happened to realize that matcha goes incredibly well with coconut and dark chocolate, so naturally I added them to the mix and oh my gosh, this oatmeal is heavenly!

You think matcha lattes are good? Try adding oatmeal. You get your caffeine and nutritional boost and hearty breakfast in one! SCORE.

Coconut Matcha Oatmeal Latte with Dark Chocolate Chunks

Hearty oatmeal is mixed with matcha tea, coconut extract and coconut sugar then topped with frothed coconut milk, toasted coconut and dark chocolate chunks for the most epic breakfast you will ever eat! Also gluten-free and vegan-friendly!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KashiPlantPower #GOTOGETHER #CollectiveBias

Sick of prepackaged protein bars and shakes for a post workout snack? Make this 5 ingredient Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Mousse! It’s packed with protein and taste like dessert at the same time!

Do you know what most people look for in a post-workout snack? Convenience. Why wait when you can unwrap and demolish a store-bought protein bar in less than one minute? If you’re like most people, you’re probably uber hangry after a super tough workout. It only makes sense to stuff the closest source of protein into your mouth so you get those gains, but let me ask you, when was the last time you said “Mmmm this store-bought protein bar/shake tasted really good!” ??? For me, that’s extremely RARE.

That’s because many, not all, prepackaged protein snacks are full of additives, artificial sweeteners or ingredients that make you bloated/gassy. That’s why I love Kashi® Organic Breakfast Superblends because they are all you need to get in high quality protein with great taste after a tough workout!

Craving an iced cold smoothie? Blend one serving with non-dairy milk, and fruit for a simple yet satisfying smoothie. You can even make pancakes, muffins, ice cream, popsicles and basically anything you crave after working out (hello dessert!).

Have you ever thought of eating mousse after working out? Yeah, didn’t think so. Usually mousse is full of fat and sugar, aka not something you would want to fuel your body with. But, what if I told you that you could make a high protein mousse with Kashi Superblend? I used the Rise & Shine flavor, which adds sweetness plus a hint of green color, perfect for this mint chocolate chip mousse! If you love the classic ice cream flavor you’ll swoon over this protein-packed dessert!

This mint chocolate chip protein mousse has only 5 ingredients, takes 2 minutes to make and can be easily eaten in a to-go container! The ingredients are as follows:

Craving a sweet treat post-workout? Make this German Chocolate Cake Protein Smoothie Bowl! It tastes like dessert, but full of protein from collagen!

“This post is sponsored by Vital Proteins. As always, all opinions are my own.”

I know I sound like a broken record, but I often tell you guys that I crave sweet dessert-like foods after I work out. I know I’m supposed eat protein( yada yada), but my sweet tooth tends to win the battle. It’s usually a need (protein) verses want (dessert) situation, and what my wants always win the battle 😁.

But life is even better when post workout snacks not only taste like dessert, but also have added protein without one even knowing it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my protein powder. I just don’t always enjoy the weird aftertaste and texture it can lend.

I really enjoy using Vital Protein’s Collagen Peptides because it dissolves in hot or cold liquids and has no taste at all! You scoop it in basically anything and it vanishes like a phantom, but it gives you tons of protein and other added health benefits. As I mentioned before in my No-Bake Paleo S’mores Protein Bars recipe post, consuming collegian promotes:

youthful skin

healthier hair

stronger bones and joints

contributes to a balanced diet and helps maintain weight

healthy immune, digestive and central nervous system.

For this particular recipe I used the Marine Collagen, which is derived from wild-caught snapper and provides 11 grams of protein per serving. Just scoop and dump in whatever your little heart desires. And if your heart desires liquid cake, you are in the right place😏

German Chocolate Cake Protein Smoothie Bowl

A thick chocolate smoothie is blended with pecan butter, coconut extract and topped with toasted coconut, pecans and dark chocolate chunks to create a german chocolate cake flavor! It’s full of protein from Vital Protein’s Collagen Peptides!